The present invention relates in general to manipulation devices and, in particular, to a manipulation device for automatically mounting hoses onto corresponding fittings. The manipulation device may be utilized in conjunction with an industrial robot or other types of automated machinery.
In the automated manufacturing of many types of appliances and other devices, such as dishwashers, for example, one step in the manufacturing process involves mounting of hoses, particularly flexible hoses, onto corresponding fittings on the manufactured unit. Although the manufacturing processes are automated, it has typically been found necessary in the prior art manufacturing process to manually mount the hose onto the fitting. These fittings are typically formed on molded plastic parts. Also, the hoses required for automatic mounting are stored in magazines ordered according to the type and size of the hose or, in the alternative, the hoses may be cut to size after being drawn "endlessly" from a hose reel.
An article entitled "Montage biegeschlaffer Teile mit Industrierobotern" is printed in the Zeitschrift fuer industrielle Fertigung 76 (1986), No. 1, pp. 8-11, and discloses automatic mounting of flexible parts in a manufacturing process. However, no structural details except for the illustration of a number of gripper jaw shapes are depicted in the article.